River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-02-03
CICELY CHRYSTAL

gown falling Imply about his tall. thin
figure. We were silent until he was
out of sight; then our tongues were
loosened, and we no longer spoke in
subdued tones.
Poor young manr' said Lottie feel
ingly.
He is grave as a Judge" said Nell.
THAT, said Claudia weightily. ais
nervousness. He is nervous, girls
nervous Of us.
But il was | who had the most to say.
leaned against the balusters, with my
face toward the open door of the lecture
room. and gave the girls the benefit OF
all my observations.
Yes, he is nervous" | said. Poor
young man, he is shy! When | asked
him if the grand jury still existed he
blushed, girls-oh, he is copper-colored
to start with. / know but he blushed
through the copper-color-"
"For your ignorance, perhaps
suggested Claudia.
"He is very shy" said /. ''He is
not used, / expect. to teaching girls.
He cannot forget that we are girls.
He waited-did you notice?-until we
had left the room; the other lecturers
stalk out before us. | think he wanted
to open the door for us, and to bow us
out. o, poor young man, he is shy
shy and young"
The girls were frowning at me.
Claudia was touching my elbow with
mysterious meaning on one side; Nell
pulling my sleeve imperatively on the
other. Lottie formed her lips into a
silent "Hush,"
"Shy and young-very yOung-what
is the matter?' | said
Nobody answered me. No answer,
indeed, was needed At that moment
our lecturer passed us again and went
back into the lccture-room. He had
come up the stairs behind mc-he must
have heard me. He seemed to glance
my way as he passed There seemed
to be a twinkle in his gray-blue eyes.
The girls moved slowly away; but
turned precipitatcly and fed
Past the lccture-room door. along
the corridor, upstairs fled, TO my lit
tie room (study, bcdchamber, and re-
ception- ROOM near the sky. | meant
to work, and took my Stubs and
turned over its leaves, and found my
place hurriedlv with unusual energy.
But work would not drive away the
remembrance of my unlucky speeches
the sentences bore no meaning to me
| could not fix my attention on the his
tory of early Germanic institutions.
shut up Stubs in despair; the girls
were playing tennis in the courts be
low; | seized my racket and ran swiftly
down to join them. Tennis would
make me forget.
But if my thoughts were distracted
for an hour or two they attacked me
again when the game was over.
stood before my glass and changed my
dress for dinner and grew rosy red as
the remembrance of my words came
back. had said that he had blushcd
because | spoke to him-I had said
that he was shy-I had implied that he
was shy of me because l was girl.
| should never dare to speak to him OF
look Mt him again! / had called him
copper least | might have
spared him that reproach. | looked
in the glass at my own little face; il
was brown as Il berry brown by nature
in the first place. and made more brown
by the summer sun and the breeze from
the sea at home His eyes were blue
and his hair was fair. Twas altogether
brown-hair. eyes, skin, all brown
alike! And had called him copper
colored!-I had called him young!-
what else had called him? / brushed
back my brown hair tightly and severe
" tied my soft silk sash with jerk
and ran down to dinner with rush,
hoping TO escape from my thoughts
again.
Perhaps, after all. thought. trying
to comfort myself he had not heard
me. Ny voice, alas, was as clear as a
bells; was an only girl in a family
of boys-a spoilt girl who had never
been taught to be meek and silent in
the presence of her brothers, talk
stive girl who had learned to make her.
self heard in any Babel Of louder and
gruifer voice. But perhaps he had been
thinking-not MISUNDERSTANDING on
the Mark system, trial by jury, or the
disruptiye tendency of feudal govern
ment. But no, said the girls, he must
have heard; there was no doubt what
ever ne had heard me-
The girls were as happy rs usual.
They could contemplate the situation
TRANQUILITY; it even afforded them
amusement. They found something
humorous in nv discontinue. 1t was
/, not they, whom he had overheard.
We sat in half-circle on the floor
before the fire that night in our pretty,
bright dressing-gowns, and drank
cocoa and ate sweet biscuits before
going to bed. Twas hostess.
The study. the little tin kettle singing
on the hob, the blue-and-white china,
the cocoa, the sweet biscuits. We're all
mine. We four friends gave cocoa
parties in turn. Tomorrow Claudia
would provide the feast. Yesterday
Nell had been hostess. Cocoa was the
chief dissipation of our college We
gave .'coeoas' rs our brothers gave
'.wines 1t was drink easily made,
inexpensive, nutritious.
We sat around the fire on the floor,
talking and laughing, holding our tea
cups and stirring our cocoa slowly and
absent-mindedly. as we talked. Ny
guests were merry, but | tonight was
unusually silent and depressed.
after all. said Claudia, sensibly,
trying to comfort me-''aftel all,
what did you say. Cis? Nothing-noth-
ing. at AL events. that mattered. You
said he was young; well, that is true.
How old, girls, DO you suppose he
tsp"
twenty-five, said Lottie.
"Twenty-fOur. said Nell
Very young" said Claudia conclu-
siyely.
Then you called him shy-well, he